Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright

1. Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright Ecosystem Capital: Use and Restoration PPT by Clark E. Adams

2. Ecosystem Capital: Use and Restoration Global perspective on biological systems Conservation, preservation, restoration Biomes and ecosystems under pressure Public and private lands in the United States

3. What We Need to Know about Ecosystems How they sustain human life and economies Positive and negative effects of ecosystem conversions Sustainable approaches to ecosystem management

5. Natural Ecosystems on Earth�s Surface: Table 11-1 Total land area: 57.6 million square miles Total ocean area: 172.6 million square miles � mostly open ocean

6. Services of Natural Ecosystems (see Table 3-2) Modification of climate Maintenance of hydrological cycle Erosion control and soil building

7. Services of Natural Ecosystems (see Table 3-2) Maintenance of oxygen and nitrogen cycles Waste treatment Pest management Carbon storage and maintenance of carbon cycle

8. Wetland Services Valued at $100,000 per acre per year Water purification and fish propagation

9. Conservation, Preservation, Restoration Conservation versus preservation Patterns of use of natural ecosystems Restoration

10. Conservation versus Preservation Conservation: managing or regulating use so that it does not exceed the capacity of the species or system to renew itself Preservation: ensure species or ecosystem continuity regardless of their potential utility

11. Patterns of Use of Natural Ecosystems

12. Patterns of Human Use of Natural Resources (True or False) Greed Ignorance Desperation Sustainability Mining the resource Managing the resource Unregulated access to resource

13. Tragedy of the Commons Begins with unregulated access to a resource owned by no one. Examples? Harvest based on largest amount over the shortest period of time. No thought given to sustainable harvests. Usually ends with no resource for anyone.

14. Preventing a Tragedy of the Commons Private ownership Regulated access Sustained benefits Fairness in access rights Common consent of the regulated

15. Principles Incorporated into Public Policies to Protect Natural Resources (Table 11-2) Natural resources cannot be treated as an open commons. Sound science needed to assess health and level of resource use. Precautionary principle should be used in setting limits for exploitation.

16. Principles Incorporated into Public Policies to Protect Natural Resources (Table 11-2) Regulations should be enforced. Economic incentives that encourage the violation of regulations should be eliminated. Subsidies that support exploitation should be removed.

17. Principles Incorporated into Public Policies to Protect Natural Resources (Table 11-2) Suitable habitats for the resource should be preserved and protected from pollution. The sustenance needs of people living close to the resource should be met.

18. Restoration The intent of ecosystem restoration is to repair the damage to specific land and waters so that normal ecosystem integrity, resilience, and productivity returns.

19. Biomes and Ecosystems under Pressure Forest biomes Ocean ecosystems Coral reefs and mangroves

20. Forest Biomes Conserve biodiversity Moderate regional climates Prevent erosion Store carbon and nutrients Provide recreational opportunities Provide a number of vital goods

21. World Forest Biomes

22. Causes of Deforestation Conversion into pastures and agricultural lands Consequences? (next slide)

23. Consequences of Deforestation

24. Silviculture: Forest Management with Harvest Goals Even-aged management Clear-cutting: no tree left behind Uneven-aged management Selective cutting

25. Causes of the Loss of Tropical Rain Forests Colonization: consolidation of agricultural lands Huge national debts Fast food chains and cheap hamburger

26. Conserving Tropical Rain Forests Ecotourism Extractive reserves Management by indigenous people Rubber plantations Sustainable logging

27. Sustainable Forest Management Manage for sustainable outcomes Teach others Protect the health of the forest Recognize and protect unique forest ecosystems Strive to be better forest managers

28. Ocean Ecosystems

29. Global Fish Harvests

30. Fisheries in Distress: Cod Landings from Georges Bank, 1982�2000

31. Fisheries Problems: Bottom Trawling

32. The Magnuson Conservation Act of 1976 Gave federal government authority to manage fisheries Claimed the area between 3 and 200 miles offshore as the �Exclusive Economic Zone�

33. The Magnuson Conservation Act of 1976 Designed to eliminate foreign fishing Designed to restore and conserve fish

34. Sustainable Fisheries Act The 1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson Act Mandates that fish stocks be rebuilt Management plans and yields be based on scientific data Steps be taken to minimize bycatch

36. Factors That Restored Whale Populations (True or False) International Whaling Commission The Red Data Book Whale watching Japan�s scientific research Stellwagen bank

37. Mangroves Protects coasts from storm damage and erosion Forms rich refuge and nursery for marine fish

38. Coral Reefs Important food sources for local people Wave erosion control Great diversity of marine vertebrates and invertebrates

39. Sources of Damage to Coral Reefs Warm water Eutrophication Islander poverty Logging Shrimp aquaculture Coastal development

40. Public and Private Lands in the United States National parks and national wildlife refuges National forests Protecting nonfederal lands Conclusion

41. Federal Lands (40%) in the U.S.

42. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition

43. Wilderness Act of 1964 Provides for permanent protection of undeveloped and unexploited areas so that natural ecological processes can operate freely 5% of land area in U.S. Preservation, not conservation

44. National Forests Only 5% of the original U.S. forests are left Most U.S. forests are second growth

46. New Forestry = Ecosystem Management Cut trees less frequently Leave wider buffer zones along waterways Leave dead logs and debris Protect broader landscapes Build no new roads until damage to old ones is addressed

47. Protecting Nonfederal Lands Land Trust Alliance Nature Conservancy Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts

48. Conclusions? We are plundering our children�s heritage to pay for our present unsustainable practices. We need a new ethic of stewardship. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan

49. End of Chapter 11